Concert Recap: The 1975

I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It.

“Third times the charm” is a very popular saying, and after experiencing The 1975 in concert for the third time, I truly understand it. (Although I have to say all of their concerts were amazing.)

I was a little on the edge about this tour, and whether or not I wanted to go, considering I had previously seen them a couple of times and I didn’t listen to them as heavily as I had a year or so ago, but as it got closer to the date and I saw pictures from their set posted on social media I realized how badly I actually wanted to go.

They played in Atlanta on November 22, at the Fox Theater. This venue was a perfect fit for The 1975, and the seats ended up being way better than I was expecting. I was a little far back but right in the middle, I could see the stage perfectly and it was also fun being right next to the sound guys.

When the concert started, a DJ came out and played a lot of fun songs to get the crowd hyped up for the opening act. He even played “Don’t Play” by Travis Scott for “the real 1975 fans” since it has a sample of one of their popular songs, M.O.N.E.Y in it. Then the opening act, 070 Shake, came out. She was very talented, and fun to listen to. It was definitely not what I was expecting based on previous opening acts hosted by The 1975, but the fact that they chose a unique artist made it all that more exciting. After 070 Shake finished, the lights came back on for a little bit until finally, The 1975 came out.

The 1975’s set is by far one of the most beautiful I have ever seen out of the numerous concerts I’ve been to. They changed it with every song and making the background fit the vibe of whatever song they were playing. There were a lot of pink and purple tones, but they made a unique new set for every song. There was also a lot of glowing rectangles, of course.(pictures in slideshow above)

As for their performance, they did not disappoint. I was a little skeptical about how it would be since I had not seen them ever perform anything outside of their debut album, but they made a new concert experience while simultaneously keeping the personal, intimate feeling that made me love their previous concerts. It was nice for someone who saw them perform before they got super big to see Matty Healy (lead singer) do some of his usual moves like his infamous hair flip and dancing on top of George Daniel’s drum set.

They played about 9 0r 10 of their old songs, which I really appreciated. I was especially excited to hear Milk live, because I have personally declared that song to be the most fun to hear/dance to in concert. (I definately lost my breath and made the sound guys give me some weird looks during this one). They also played some of their most famous songs from their self titled album like Girls, Sex, and Robbers.

Hearing the new songs live was very exciting, especially keeping in mind that this was a repeat concert for me. I love hearing the way that bands develop over time, and this band has definitely grown not just in fan base, but in musical style. Some of my favorite performances from their newest album, I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It, were Ugh!, She’s American, Somebody Else. When The 1975 came back out for their encore, Matty made a statement about how it was a weird tradition that bands pretended to leave like they weren’t going to play their most famous songs, which was funny to me. They ended with The Sound, which although was unexpected was a very good closing song.

The 1975 know how to perform and make everyone in the room feel connected. One song that was not on the set-list was Fallingforyou, which was actually a surprise that the band planned out. Right before, everyone was told to sit down, stay quiet, put their phones away, and to just experience the moment as your present self, not your future or past self. This moment was very special for me, considering this is one of my favorite songs. The 1975 knows how to create a moment and a memory.

Even though I had mixed feelings about seeing The 1975 again, I am very glad that I decided to and think everyone should take the opportunity to see them if it ever comes up.